Maybe I'm wrong about this, but I don't think all that many people would describe themselves as Green. I think the quiet majority of people are wary of Green politics and not very keen on carbon-crunching. They're not really convinced by the fire-and-brimstone sermons of Monbiot and co.
But many of us have Green tendencies. We love nature documentaries and walks in the country. We grow things. With a bit of encouragement we easily become fiendish recyclers. We'll turn the temperature setting down on the washing machine, so long as we know the clothes will still come out clean.
In other words, we're Greenish. Unfortunately professional Greens sometimes give the impression that anyone who hasn't sent their car to the crusher and vowed never to eat a carrot that has travelled more than 200 metres is a carbon criminal responsible for the imminent destruction of the world. Which is hardly encouraging.
Instead, let's give ourselves a pat on the back for saving those cans or for trying to bike to work, or even for noticing the first swift of summer.
2 comments:
I agree it can be tough to be "Greenish" when the "Green" make it seem as if it's either 100% or nothing. I'm all for some greenish effort!
Great post! I think sometimes we're too hard on ourselves and while that isn't justification for bad eco-habits, we should be a little more proud of the positive things we do. I thought our readers might also like it so I posted your article and a link to your site and encouraged them to check it out.
http://www.ecollo.com/post/2008/05/Being-green-ish-isn't-so-bad.aspx
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